BUSH HATS AND THEIR PATCHES

[ASR142]

Hi Chaps
Having 2 examples in my collection of malaya period bush hats ( 44 pattern jungle light weight hat ) which have diffrent white flashes to them and looking through some pictures from jungle warfare you see a mixture of these being worn all with white flashes of diffrent types is their any reference to which unit wore which flash and is it worth starting a thread with pictures of these flashes on them ? for the future while there are these perticular vetrains around still ? steve

[badger123]

I'm not sure if this is the type of patch you are referring too but patches were still being worn on bush hats by the 1st Bn York and Lancs into the 1960's.

These chaps are members of the 1st Bn in Cyprus in 1965-1968 and the 65th patch can be clearly seen. This is from the Y&L archives from a series of colour photos which show the patches as being red/burgundy background with white lettering.

However, a word of warning! The patches as shown on our favourite northern dealers site were DEFINITELY not worn by the 65th column in Burma as the caption suggests! I'm not sure about anyone else but I don't like them and they don't look a bit like the real thing.

http://www.petertaylormilitaria.com/...aria/id19.html

[KLR]

Here is what the King's Regt wore on their bush hat in Korea.
Thanks to Badjez, I know about the introduction of the bush hat. What I don't know is when this KINGS patch appeared. All we can say at the moment, is that it is identical to the FSH patch KING'S (in eg 1934 DR) but without the apostrophe.

[ASR142]

[QUOTE=badger123;325179]I'm not sure if this is the type of patch you are referring too but patches were still being worn on bush hats by the 1st Bn York and Lancs into the 1960's.

Saidly Badger123 I was not on about the regt flashes of which i do have examples in my collect and could be included but more like the one shown which where al made out of scraps of cloth and stiched quite roughtly in place regrads steve

[ASR142]

Originally Posted by KLR

Here is what the King's Regt wore on their bush hat in Korea.
Thanks to Badjez, I know about the introduction of the bush hat. What I don't know is when this KINGS patch appeared. All we can say at the moment, is that it is identical to the FSH patch KING'S (in eg 1934 DR) but without the apostrophe.

HI
Regimently flashes have been in use on pagris since the Victorian times the kings used the same flash during WWII on slouch hats of which there is a membership group which covers pagris on the forum but these flashs i am on about would not come under that group . steve

[KLR]

If you read more closely, I was specifically distinguishing the bush hat 'patch' from the FSH 'patch'.

[leigh kitchen]

Mike Chappell shows / refers to a few in some of his "Osprey" books such as the Hampshires in the Malaya campaign.

[badjez]

I'm not too sure that there was a specific deign of patch. All units were instructed to wear a white/yellow flash upon them so as to distinguish Commonwealth troops from CT. I think any scraps could be used. There are variations in the Suffolk Regt museum showing platoons made up their own in a similar way that US troops did in Vietnam.

Stephen.

[Peter Brydon]

Examples also in "The British Soldier in the 20th Century- 2- Field Service Head Dress 1902-the present day " again by Mike Chappell.

But what Steve is talking about seems to be a system of recognition flashes made up from bits of cloth, I wonder if they could be something to try and prevent casualties from friendly fire ?


P.B.

[54Bty]

We had to put a piece of white cloth on the back of our hats in Malaya (1969) so that you could be seen easier by the man behind. Not sure but I think it was just a rectangle.

Marc

[leigh kitchen]

I'm thinking of coloured patches worn on the front / back of the hats, triangles, rectangles etc used to indicate company's etc?

[ASR142]

Originally Posted by 54Bty

We had to put a piece of white cloth on the back of our hats in Malaya (1969) so that you could be seen easier by the man behind. Not sure but I think it was just a rectangle.

Marc

Hi Marc
which regt did you serve with ? steve

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by badjez

I'm not too sure that there was a specific deign of patch. All units were instructed to wear a white/yellow flash upon them so as to distinguish Commonwealth troops from CT. I think any scraps could be used. There are variations in the Suffolk Regt museum showing platoons made up their own in a similar way that US troops did in Vietnam.

Stephen.

Research into images of Gurkha Riflemen in Malaya and Sarawak will reveal details of identification patches worn in those campaigns - at least on Gurkha battalion had a white ring c 4 inch diameter front and centre on their Jungle Hats (not bush hats - and the KD version of the Jungle Hat was colloquially known as the Desert Hat). In First Division, Sarawak some Commonwealth troops generally wore a band of yellow parachute nylon tacked around the jungle hat. Others improvised a recognition band out a "tape, black, universal" which was almost invisible on a wet Jungle Hat. Mike

[Mike Jackson]

These are 3 RAR in Sarawak:
3 RAR Sarawak.01.jpg

[Mike Jackson]

And the GR "aiming mark"!
Gurkhas in Malaya.jpg